No Where to Turn
by potosw
Summary: It hasn't been long since the events of Bespin. The Rebel Leaders beilieve Luke to be an Imperial Spy. Vader is trying to find his son. Luke is stuck in the middle.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- I don't own anything. The inspiration for this story came when I was listening to Michael Crawford singing a Disney Medley. How the man who played Phantom inspired a Star Wars fic is beyond me.

Bespin had been an absolute disaster. Han was Force knows where, Luke had lost a hand, and Leia was suffering from depression over the loss of the man she had come to love. In all, none of the Rebels had fared well against Vader's obsession with trying to capture his son.

Yes, son. It had been shocking to hear the words come from the Sith Lord, but now as Luke Skywalker sat in the new Rebel Base that was hidden away on some desolate planet he didn't know the name of, he was made to face the reality of his situation. The Force whispered in its strange way that Vader had been speaking the truth, but that did not make it any easier for him to accept. The man that he had always idolized, Anakin Skywalker, had been perverted into that death mask. All he could see now when thinking of his father was that terrible obsidian mask with that hand extending to him with the offer to rule the galaxy. Would it have been so bad to accept that Sith Lord's offer? But, what was he thinking? Accepting that offer would be selling his soul to the Dark Side. If his father was any proof of what happened to men who followed the path of Darkness, Luke would happily repeat Bespin over and over again.

But, the man had reached out to him using the Force when they had been separated by the cold vacuum that was space. The man had continued to reach out to him even when the _Falcon _took off into light speed. For just the slightest moment, Luke had thought that he had felt his father call out in desperation for him with pain in that mental plea. It had been a pain that had grown over many years of perhaps not knowing about his son. But, that couldn't be possible, could it? Sith Lords don't have those emotions-regret being the top most Luke had thought he'd heard in the mental plea. If he had heard that emotion, perhaps there was hope for the man that called himself father.

Shaking his head in an attempt to rid his mind of Vader, the young Jedi made his way through the Rebel Base in an attempt to find the High Council members. They had questions for him concerning his encounter with the Sith Lord when on Bespin. They also wanted to know exactly where he had gone following the evacuation of Hoth. Following the progression of these events, the Rebel leaders had reason to believe that perhaps the "good" Skywalker was perhaps working as an Imperial Spy. It was all too much to be a coincidence, what with Vader showing up personally on the former Rebel Base and then Luke being harmed by the Sith Lord. They saw the loss of his hand as perhaps some sort of punishment Vader had delivered as a result of being unhappy with him. Perhaps for allowing the Rebels to escape from Hoth so easily?

Skywalker was nearing the doorway to what was more so the judge and jury than the Rebel Leaders when he was suddenly pulled aside. He found himself staring into the brown eyes of Leia, who looked to be stressed. It didn't take long for her to explain the mindset of the Council. They planned to charge him with treason. Apparently, Reiken had convinced the rest of the leaders of some fake notion that Luke was indeed a spy by saying that he held irrefutable evidence. The former Princess quickly sent Luke on his way to a hidden landing pad. He was told to run and never look back.

Standing there, he looked down on the petite woman. "Leia, why do this? If they discover that you were the one to let me go-"

"They won't," Leia interrupted. "I am not about to lose another person that I care about. Losing Han was more than I could handle. I don't need to lose you too. So, please, run away from here. When we find Han, I'll contact you. We could use your help in saving him…"

"I will be there. You can count on me," he replied before hugging the woman and boarding the X-Wing he had been provided. As he took off into space, he had no idea where he would go. All he had was R2, the clothing on his back, and some rations. The future was unknown and only the Force knew what was to come.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- Wow! Thanks for all of the support guys. I didn't expect so many people to like this. Again, I own nothing, sadly.

What an absolute failure Bespin had been. He had dedicated so much time in trying to find the boy, in trying to find his son. It had seemed like an easy enough task, convincing the child to join the Dark Side with his father. He had offered the boy the galaxy, and still the child had refused. The young Jedi in training chose to embrace Death rather than his parenthood. That certainly had been a harsh blow to the Sith Lord that was known as Darth Vader. Even the men had been able to see his normally hidden emotions visible to them when the boy had escaped in the _Falcon_. Piet had expected to be killed, but even that hadn't happened. Vader hadn't even had the energy to dispose of the admiral, not that he wanted to. It was quite rare to come by a competent officer, so the man had been allowed to live.

Now back in Imperial Centre, the Sith Lord was being forced to deal with his unhappy Master. The elder man could not believe that young Skywalker had been able to escape the indomitable force that was his apprentice so easily. Clearly, the younger Sith had grown attached to the child. Why else would Vader allow the child to get away? These thoughts only angered Lord Sidious all the more. He could not allow Vader to become weak where the child was concerned. If the child continued to become a nuisance, he would have the boy killed. Then again, his own spies were already out searching the galaxy for the son of Skywalker. Bringing the child back alive would result in a higher pay, but bringing the child back dead would also result in a handsome payment. And, if the latter were to occur, watching the apprentice mourn the boy would be delicious. It would push the apprentice even deeper into the Dark Side, if that were at all possible.

For the moment though, Palpatine was quite displeased and he did not hesitate to take his rage out upon the man, if he could even be called that. Force lightning danced from his fingertips once more to strike the Sith Lord in front of him. He was well aware that this could very easily kill the man who had sunk down to his hands and knees, but the Master knew just how far he could push this before it would kill the apprentice. He chuckled darkly at the pain that was coming to him from Vader through the Force.

Luke had been traveling through hyperspace, making jumps at random in order to ensure that no one could find him. How could the Rebel leaders think that he would betray the Alliance? He had destroyed the Death Star for them, amongst many other things. He had led his squad on many a successful mission. He had dedicated his life to serving them, and they were throwing him away on the fake proof that Reiken had. The man had never liked Luke, though he didn't know why. He had never done anything to the man. Still, he believed what Leia had said, and he had run from them. He knew that doing this would only confirm their fake suspicions that he was an Imperial Spy, but what choice did he have? He couldn't stay there and be tried for treason.

So absorbed was he in his thoughts, Luke didn't notice how dangerously low the fuel was running. With R2 suddenly making him aware of the situation in a loud series of beeps, Luke knew that something had to be done. He had to land somewhere and try to get some fuel. He had come to the Outer Rim in an attempt to simply disappear from the galaxy. He had planned to hide on some desolate planet with few living beings. Well, if his scanners were speaking the truth, the planet that was hanging in space before him would be perfect. It had a few living beings and seemed to have one major development. He could likely refuel here and maybe even hide out for a while. It wasn't like he had much of a choice, Luke figured as he broke through the atmosphere of the planet.

Luke steered his X-Wing through a torrent of acid rain toward what appeared to be a large castle, as it seemed to be the only development visible in any direction. Well, this was the building the scanners had picked up on, he thought while preparing the ship for landing. Something seemed to be going wrong though. He quickly lost all control of the ship quickly lost as the strong magnetic field surrounding the building took control of the small vessel. All Luke could remember before the blackness of unconsciousness took him was how odd a way to die this was. He had expected to die in some epic battle, not by crashing. He didn't remember calling out to his father for help…

Palpatine had dismissed him after taking out his anger and displeasure. How was it that this no longer hurt him? Had he simply become numb to pain after so many years of suffering with it? Perhaps that was the answer, but as the Sith Lord slowly made his way out of the Imperial Palace his thoughts came back to that of his son. His Master was searching for his son, which meant that the boy could easily turn up dead. That was something he did not want. Vader needed the boy if his plans were to come true. The old man needed to be eliminated and soon.

Vader had been ordered to Vjun in order to "immerse himself in the Dark Side" or something of the sort. The Sith Lord would have no choice but to obey the Master, and he would be forced to wait to find his son. He had his own spies that could search for the boy while he was stuck on Vjun, his home.

The Sith Lord would be aboard his flagship when he would hear Luke call out to him through the Force. He would try to reach the boy, only to be met with nothing but darkness. Vader could only hope that Palpatine's spies hadn't already found the boy and disposed of him. But, no, he could still vaguely make out the boy's Force signature. And, if it were the Rebels who had harmed his son, they would beg for mercy far before he would deliver it.

A/N- Well, that's it for this chapter. Don't worry, I will be having some dialogue soon and this will get better as I go along. I hope… LOL. Review if you'd like. :D


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- I own nothing. Again, this goes out to all the people who take the time to read and review this little story of mine.

Luke Skywalker awoke to a bright white light shining in his face. He closed his eyes against the bright light in order to protect them. He had no idea where he was. The last thing he remembered was being in his X-Wing, about to crash. Where was he now? Was this bright white light the shining entrance to the netherworld of the Force? Slowly, though, things began to come into his awareness. He was laying on something cold and metallic. He could feel his wrists and ankles bound to that same table, these metal shackles giving no room for movement. The young Jedi forced his eyes open to find himself in an all white room with that same bright light shining in his eyes. The only thing in the room aside from him was a strange, silver cart in the corner of the room. Luke could not make out what was exactly lying on that innocent looking cart but something about it made him uneasy. This whole situation made him uneasy. Even as a man dressed in crisp Imperial uniform entered the room through a door he had not seen, the Jedi was more preoccupied with a discovery he had stumbled upon. Even as the man took something from the cart, Luke had only one thought in his mind. He had no connection to the Force. It was devoid from this room.

The Imperial only smiled as he brought his tool down upon the young Jedi. With the screams of the young man echoing through that white room, the Imperial's thoughts were on that of the owner of this place. He would be quite happy that the Jedi called Skywalker had been captured. The Force free room would ensure that the Jedi could not escape. Who would complain if he was able to gain a little more information from this Jedi? Perhaps the location of the hidden Rebel Base could be pulled from the mind of the young man. Certainly, it wouldn't be easy, what with the interrogation training the rebels were put through, but the Imperial had confidence in his abilities. Vader hadn't hored him to work here because he could bake cookies. No, the Sith Lord had hired him because he was quite talented in his methods of interrogation. All it took was to confuse the prisoner to the point where he believed friend to be foe and enemy to be ally. It was then that the mind would be quite willing to give away all of its secrets.

The _Executor _had plotted a course for the Vjun system. It would take a little over a week for them to arrive to the Outer Rim planet. The course had already been plotted, and they were heading there as quickly as they could manage, trying to get there faster if possible. The commander of this vessel had ordered it so. The men on the _Executor _were some of the best in the Empire, so they knew when to avoid their commanding officer when he was in one of his foul moods. Now, none of the men knew why Lord Vader would be in one of his dark moods, but none were brave enough to ask. None were stupid enough to ask either. So, the men simply settled for working at one hundred percent efficiency to try and please the Sith Lord.

Vader stood standing at the bridge, staring out into the vast expanse that was hyperspace. He had left the Imperial Centre only a few days ago, and it was at that time that he had last been able to sense his son's presence. The Force signature, dim as it was, had suddenly disappeared as if the boy himself had suddenly dropped out of the galaxy. It could have been that the boy had learned to shield himself from his father, or that he was being shielded, but that did not seem to be the case. Something was going on, and the boy had likely gotten himself into some sort of trouble. But, how was he sure of that fact? The Force had yet to give him anything on what had become of the child, so where had the thought that his son was in trouble come from? Perhaps the Force _had _given him a clue while staring out into the void that was hyperspace. All he could do was wait to revert to real space before he could set out in his attempts to find the child, his son. Palpatine's orders be damned. He had the motivation now to usurp the old man from his position of power. With his son's help, it would be quite possible. They could rule and the galaxy could _truly _and finally have peace. He need only find Luke.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N- Again. I own nothing. Star Wars belongs to Lucas. Anyway, thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, and favoriting this little story of mine. I really didn't expect so much support.

"What do you think you're doing to the kid? Vader wanted him found, not maimed!" someone was yelling at Luke's constant tormentor. But, was the tormentor friend or foe? After so many days of this torture, it was hard to tell. Was it the Rebels interrogating him or the Imperials? The one who always brought pain said that somewhere in Luke's mind he knew which side he was aligned to. The problem was, Luke couldn't quite find that fact in his memory bank. The sounds of an argument breaking out, followed quickly by the sound of someone getting punched, brought the young Jedi out of his thoughts. He could only hear what was going on around him. There was no more white room for him to look at just as he was no longer to see the tormentor. There was a reason for this. He had been blinded by some sort of acid.

Luke could hear the footfalls of someone coming closer to the cold, metal table he had been strapped to for what seemed like forever, though it had only been about a week. He counted the steps of the new person in the room. In five, four, three, two, one. There, the man was now standing at the side of the table. Losing his sight had been terrible, but he had quickly learned to readjust to the world around him. That meant making the most of his other senses.

A hand cupped his face, using what was likely a thumb to wipe away some dried blood from Luke's face. The Jedi felt how rough these hands were. So, he was dealing with a man. The question now became, was this man friend or foe? He had no way to know this, but his fears were assuaged when the bindings around his wrists and ankles were released. Young Skywalker immediately tried to flee, hurrying to his feet. He only managed to fall in a blind heap at what must have been the other man's feet. After putting absolutely no weight on his legs and feet for so long, they had grown weak. They were unable to support his weight.

Those same rough hands suddenly pulled him up, supporting him. Luke tried to pull away from whoever this man was. He hadn't said much, but one thing remained engrained in the Jedi's mind. This man had made mention of Vader. Who was that again? His memories were blurred from the drugs he had been fed and from the lack of being able to touch the Force. Somewhere deep in his mind, Luke knew that Vader meant something to him.

The man supporting him began leading them somewhere. Ten steps and they were leaving the white room, with the man muttering just how angry "Uncle D" was going to be over the condition he was in. Luke paid this no mind though. The Force had come rushing back to him with a righteous fury. All he could do was weakly clutch at his head. As he began to slip into the darkness of unconsciousness, the young Jedi decided that being cut off from the Force for an extended period was not exactly what he would define as fun.

Wrenga Jixton looked down upon Luke, who had suddenly gone slack. Well, it certainly wouldn't be good if the boy had died. Upon finding a heartbeat, he settled for carrying the kid through the various halls of Uncle D's Vjun home. The place was sparsely decorated at best. Jix knew, of course, that his commander never wasted his time on things such as home décor. Still, it wasn't as if Vader was poor. He could have put a little more decoration into the place he called home.

Luke was brought to the small medical center. There would be nothing that could bring his sight back, but at the very least they could try to heal the boy before Vader got here. And when the Sith Lord did arrive, the one who had interrogated the Jedi would meet a very sticky end. Oh sure, Jix knew all about Skywalker-how he was Vader's kid and all. The Sith Lord had confided the information to only him. It made Jix feel important. But, now was not the time to be thinking about who trusted him with guarded information. It was now time to go out to the landing platform to meet up with Uncle D. The man certainly would be happy that his son was found. Maybe, the Sith would be distracted enough to look over the fact the boy was harmed. Jix certainly didn't like the idea of reporting that information.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N- Lucas, you know you own Star Wars. So, I thank you all for the support and we get on with the story. Hope you enjoy. 8D

Well, Jix had told Vader that Luke had been found, here on Vjun of all places. The Sith Lord could not understand why the Jedi had ventured this far out into the Outer Rim. More importantly, what could have possessed the boy to come here? It wasn't exactly a secret that Vader had a place of living here. It would have made sense for the Rebel Leaders to have told Luke about this place and to avoid it at all costs. Still, he wasn't about to complain. He finally had the boy. With training, Luke would make a worthy apprentice and Palpatine could be taken down.

As the two made their way from the landing pad and into Bast Castle, Jixton had told Vader that his kid was here. The Sith seemed to be happy enough, or at the very least preoccupied with his thoughts. Now might be a good time to mention the little fact that the interrogator had gone a bit too far with the Jedi. Seeming to be very interested in some dirt under one of his fingernails, Jix began, "Well, there is one other thing about Luke, Uncle D."

The Sith looked down on the man who was walking beside him. He did not know why he put up with this man, for he could be so disrespectful. Still, the man was quite useful in certain situations. He earned his keep, despite his quirks. He replied, "Must you call me that, Jixton? And, what do you mean there is something else about Luke?"

Oh, this is going to be fun, the man thought while turning to face the Sith Lord now that they were inside. It was no coincidence that he had been leading them toward the med bay. Vader had asked to see his son; he may as well know what he would find once seeing the boy for himself. "The thing is, that son of yours crash landed here. It didn't take everyone's favorite interrogator long to get his hands on Luke. The guy thought he'd get some information off him about the Rebels. The boy got beat up pretty bad before I got the chance to intervene…"

Vader could feel his blood boil. He had specifically stated that he wanted no harm to come to the one called Skywalker. Everyone in the galaxy who knew of the bounty on the boy's head knew this fact. Certainly everyone who was in his employ knew this fact. That interrogator had signed his own death certificate; he just didn't know it yet. Now, the question became, did he go and take his revenge against the man for harming his son or did he go to visit the boy? Indecision was not something he was accustomed to any longer.

Even without the Force, Jix could feel the anger coming off of Vader. When had he come to interpret the man's emotions so easily? He really didn't know, and he honestly didn't care. He leaned against the door to the med bay and sighed. Vader was angry as it was now, just wait until he dropped the final bomb. "Before you go in there, you should know one more thing. Luke won't be able to see you. He's blind now. There was nothing that could-" He was cut off by Vader shoving him aside and sweeping into the med bay. Jix only shook his head and walked away. It was going to be a long day for both Vader and the young Jedi. He had other matters to attend to, though, so he went on his way.

Luke had been half asleep when he heard someone enter the room. It couldn't be the medic for that man always greeted him quite loudly and in a happy way. It could be annoying at times. It couldn't be the man he called Jix for by now that man would have said something. Then realization came to him once that iconic breathing hit him. Fear ran through the young Jedi as he forced himself to his feet and tried to blindly back away from the sound. He didn't know the number of steps to the opposite side of the room, but he did manage to back into the wall. How was he supposed to fight like this? Ben had taught him to quiet his mind, to let the Force guide his actions, but fighting a module blinded was far different from fighting a Sith Lord.

A tendril of the Force reached out to his mind, and Luke was very tempted to go to it. Even if this was Vader, it was something that he knew. He could still see that black mask from his memories. The man was connected to his past, before everything had gone south. But, no, he could not reach out to this man for help. It was because of him that he found himself in this situation. Accepting the man's help could very easily end in him joining the Dark Side. He could not and would not become an agent of evil, even if it meant putting his life at risk.

"It is pointless to resist, Luke," the young Jedi heard that deep baritone fill the room. It could be so easy to just submit to that voice, to allow it to sway him, but he couldn't let it happen. He was a Jedi, trained by Master Yoda himself. Again, the voice, "You will join me, son."

And with that Luke could hear heavy footfalls heading toward the door. Vader hadn't said so much as one word concerning the condition he was in. If he was to call himself father, shouldn't he have been at least partially concerned over the state of his son? Luke didn't understand why he cared so much that Vader hadn't said anything about his condition. It wasn't like he cared what Vader did, but he had always admired the thought of his father. Vader _was _his father. Maybe that was why he was hurt that the man hadn't made mention of what had happened. Still, as the Sith Lord left the room, Luke got the impression that the interrogator now had a limited lifespan. Whether Vader cared about him as his son or not didn't matter. Vader had ordered that Luke not be harmed, and that order had not been heeded. Luke knew that he wasn't the brightest man in the universe, but even a lowly Bantha knew what befell people who disobeyed Vader or angered him. With the dark thought that the man's blood would soon be spilled, Luke found his way back to his medical cot. He slowly lay down and smiled at his thoughts before slipping into the dark embrace of sleep.

A/N- I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Looks like Luke has some darkness inside of him already. Hmm, I wonder if Vader will exploit that…


	6. Chapter 6

A/N- Normal disclaimer: I own nothing! And, wow! So many people are reading this! I never expected this amount of support. So, thank you. Now, I have one question for you all: Do you want Luke to remain blind? Leave a review and let me know. :D

The search for his son had stretched on for far too long, and now that Vader finally did have Luke all of his plans were being tampered with. He had made it abundantly clear throughout the galaxy that Luke was not to be harmed. Only a fool would have disobeyed his direct orders, and it appeared that the interrogator had been that very fool. The man would eventually pay with his life for causing harm to the young Jedi, but now was not the time. No, now was the time to take as long as he pleased toying with the man before finally ending him. The interrogator thought he knew how to get answers out of people. He thought he knew how to cause pain. How sorely mistaken he was. The man would quickly learn a whole new plethora of methods one could use to interrogate people. Sadly, he would never get the chance to employ these techniques.

The Sith Lord had to use all of his self-control not to kill the interrogator upon seeing him. What rage he had felt sweep through him upon seeing the man. How dare he bring harm to his own flesh and blood, the only thing he had left of Padme. He certainly intended to make this man suffer for bringing pain to the boy. He hadn't been able to express himself upon seeing Luke in the condition he was in. So many emotions had flittered their way through his mind. Vader knew the boy was confused as to why he hadn't been giving him his attention. The fact was simple; he could not stand to look on his son in such a state. It brought such anger to him, and he knew full well how badly he could act if he allowed his anger to take control. Were he to try to convince Luke of joining the Dark Side now, the boy would likely reply in the negative and argue the case for the Light Side. This would only anger him more, and he didn't need to have a repeat of Bespin. The child had lost so much already and for nothing. So, as the Sith Lord looked down on the interrogator, he allowed the Dark Side to take him. His anger would be spent upon this man before he would visit Luke again.

Luke had been moved from the med bay and into his own room under Vader's orders. The Jedi was not about to complain about the situation, but he still wished that Vader would at least acknowledge him in some way. Since he had been freed from the interrogation room, his only friend had been the doctor and that Jixton character. The man reminded Luke of Han. And with that thought of the space smuggler, the young Jedi had to wonder what Leia was doing. She had ensured his safety from the Rebel leaders. If they were ever to find out that she were responsible for letting him leave, she would surely be put off the High Council. He would forever hate himself if that were to happen. He had already caused his friends so much suffering and all for nothing, just as Yoda had predicted. He had ended up captured by Vader and now he could only wait until he would be hand delivered to the Emperor. What a fool he had been. Why hadn't he listened to Ben and Yoda? Had he stayed and completed the training, perhaps none of this would have happened. His friends would be safe, he would still be with the Alliance, and he would still have his sight. As it was, though, he had no hope of ever escaping his father. The Rebels would never come to rescue him. He had nowhere to turn.

The sound of the door opening took Luke's attention away from his thoughts. Whoever had entered the room was not someone that he knew. Both the doctor and Jix would have greeted him by now with their constant jovial tone. Vader, well, he might not have said anything, but the rasp of the respirator was not something easily forgotten. Whoever had entered the room had light, delicate footfalls. Luke could sum up that this person had to be a woman. Perhaps she was a nurse who had come to give him medicine or something of the sort? He wasn't entirely certain, but something was whispering to him in the Force. This person was not a friend.

The snap-hiss of a lightsaber confirmed the Force's whispered warning. The young Jedi was immediately on his feet, backing away from the sound of the humming blade. He knew his new room well, so he backed away toward one of the far walls. He didn't exactly have a plan for what to do if this person decided to suddenly push the offensive, but there had to be something he could do. The young Jedi reached out with the Force, sending whatever he could find in the room flying at the person with the lightsaber. He could hear the sounds of the items being cut through. How was it that Vader had managed to overwhelm him by doing this on Bespin? There had to be some trick to it.

And that's when the Jedi came up with a brilliant plan. The Sith Lord, his father, certainly wouldn't let just anyone kill him. Palpatine wanted him alive, so it only made sense that Vader would defend him in this situation. Now, if he could only figure out how to reach out to the man. He had been able to call out to Leia once before, and he had communicated with his father before. It shouldn't be too difficult to ask for the man's help now.

The woman was starting to become irritated with young Skywalker. She had been ordered to dispose of the boy, and she certainly wasn't about to disobey her Master's orders. His orders were final, and she knew full well what would befall her if she were not to come back successful. Infiltrating Bast Castle certainly hadn't been easy, especially considering that Vader, himself, was here. She knew that she would have to move fast and strike the young Jedi down before Vader got the chance to intervene on the situation. So, she moved in for the kill. How easy it would be to kill the blinded Jedi. It was almost too easy, and it certainly was a waste of her talents.

Luke could hear the woman coming closer and closer. So, this was how he was going to meet his end, at the hand of a woman he could not even see? It seemed odd. He had cheated Death on one too many occasions it seemed. Now, he would finally go to the Netherworld of the Force. Perhaps that would be better. There would be no more suffering, no more Sith Lords acting as his father, no more Dark or Light Side. There would only be the Force. He resigned himself to his death as he sensed the blade about to come down upon him, but the sound of another snap-hiss and two lightsabers clashing brought him back to full awareness. The sound of that iconic breathing was there; the being who was responsible for the sound standing protectively in front of him. Maybe his father did care after all.

Darth Vader had sensed his son's mental call for help as he had been leaving the interrogator's holding cell. He had already planned to visit the boy, but now his steps were hurried. The child had only called out to him when he was in need. Clearly, something was wrong. Upon entering the Jedi's room, Vader found a woman with bright red hair about to bring her lightsaber down upon his son. Without a thought the Sith Lord had his own weapon in hand, activated, and blocking the woman's death blow. He now stood defensively in front of his son. He was not about to allow Emperor's Hand to kill his son.

The woman only sighed, taking a step away from him. This just had to be difficult. She was going to immerse herself in the Dark Side and fight the Sith Lord, but she found herself choking. The woman growled in annoyance as she felt herself being lifted into the air. She should have been prepared for this sort of thing. There was no telling what the Sith would do to her now, but she showed no fear. What he said to her next did surprise her, though.

"You dare to come here and try to assassinate my own son in my own home?"


	7. Chapter 7

A/N- Star Wars is not mine. If it was there wouldn't be a "no" in _Jedi_. Anyways, thank you all for the continued support. And, I made up a back story for Mara on a whim. Don't hate me for doing so! xD

"You dare to come here and try to assassinate my own son in my own home?" Sith Lord, Darth Vader said to the woman who he had suspended above the floor with the use of the Force. He should have known that something like this would happen-that Palpatine would send one of his Hands to try and kill his son. It was only logical that the Hands were trained in the Force. They could hold their own against Luke. The question became, though, did Palpatine already know that Luke was here or had this woman merely figured it out on her own? Whatever the answer was, he would still follow through with his plans. If Palpatine knew he had the boy, he would need only work faster to convert Luke to the Dark Side. If his Master was unaware of Skywalker's presence, things would be quite a bit easier.

The woman was slowly starting to see dark circles enter her vision. She was unsure if the Sith Lord was going to kill her, but she would not show him any fear over him potentially ending her life. She would not give him that pleasure like so many else did when meeting their end by this man's hand. The revelation of who Skywalker was did allow for surprise to sit in her eyes, however. How had Vader managed to father a child? Surely, the mother hadn't been a willing participant in the child's conception, for who would ever want to be with someone like him? She couldn't help but look at the young Jedi in a new light. He looked so innocent compared to Vader.

Luke might not have been able to see what was going on, but he had a pretty good idea as to what was happening if the sounds of someone slowly choking were anything to go by. This woman may have tried to kill him, but that did not mean that he wanted to see, so to speak, the woman die. He was a Jedi, so it was only natural for him to oppose useless death. Perhaps he could find a way to convince his father not to kill the woman. It was likely useless, but he could try.

"Are you going to kill her?" the young Jedi asked, looking in the direction of the sounds of his father's respirator. He could just picture that mask turning to look at him, the woman still choking in the background as a result of Vader's Force powers. He looked down on his feet. How was it that Vader could still so easily intimidate him even when he couldn't see the man? He attributed it to the fear and anger that he once held for the man. But, this was his father. Could he associate those feelings with him any longer? He wanted to know this man, but the Sith Lord had yet to make any attempt to try and bond with him. Trying to clear his head of these thoughts and focus on the present, he made himself look back up in the direction his father. "You don't need to kill her. She didn't hurt me."

His son truly was a Jedi that much was certain. The young boy had more care for the people around him than for his own well-being. It reminded him of-no, he wouldn't go there. That life was dead. That man was dead. Yet, the boy went by the name Skywalker and he claimed the boy as his own so would that not mean that there was still a part of Anakin in him? Those thoughts were something he would rather avoid for the moment. Vader replied, "This woman is Mara Jade. She works directly for the Emperor, just as I do. He has trained her in the ways of the Force to some small extent, enough to be able to handle a lightsaber. If I allow her to live, she will no doubt run back to Palpatine to report to him that you are here. I will have no choice but to bring you before him if he learns of your presence here. Is that what you wish to have happen, son?" The Sith Lord could not understand why he enjoyed addressing the boy as such.

Luke shook his head. "No, I would rather not meet your Master. I just don't get why you haven't already brought me to him," he muttered. Truly, he could not find one reason why Vader hadn't already ushered him off to his Master. It would be easy to bring him to the man, what with his weakened state and blindness.

"I will explain that in time, Luke." came the reply.

Always cryptic, thought Luke. Why were the Jedi and the Sith so damn cryptic? Did they enjoy confusing their students? They had to for it was the same between the both of them. It seemed that the Light Side and the Dark Side both shared some things in common. The young Jedi was about to go on in trying to defend the woman when she suddenly began screaming. Young Skywalker allowed a gasp of surprise to escape him, blindly looking toward the woman. "What are you doing to her?!" Luke demanded of his father, blindly reaching out to try and stop the man from killing the woman. He didn't exactly know how he would stop his father, but he would try at the very least.

"I am simply removing a mental wall from her mind which prevents her from seeing the truth," the Sith Lord answered. "Palpatine has erected a block in her mind. She cannot see that my Master killed her parents so he could take her on as one of his Hands. Perhaps once she sees the truth of the situation she could be useful." Vader explained what he had found in her mind to his son. It took very little effort to enter her mind. It was a bit of an exertion to remove the deeply placed mental block but it was not impossible for someone with his Force abilities. With one last push, the wall was toppled.

The woman, Mara Jade, cried out once more as a flood of memories entered her mind with a blinding speed. She could see herself as a small child, playing outside in her backyard. The young child knew that she was different from the rest of her friends. She could move things with her mind. The girl had been throwing a ball around with the use of her special powers when she heard screaming coming from the inside of her home. The girl ran into the house in time to see a hooded man kill her mother without so much as moving, and with the slightest movement a laser sword cut through her father. The girl stood there, frozen to the spot in fear. As the hooded man came to stand before her, she looked up into his face and saw someone she had seen so often on the news. It was Palpatine. Then, the vision of the man seemed to shutter. The memory girl suddenly thought that Palpatine was saving her from some unseen foe.

"No," she stammered out, now on her knees with face buried in her hands. Palpatine had lied to her. The entirety of her life had been a lie. He had been the one who killed her parents, not the Jedi or the Rebels as he had led her to believe. A surge of anger ran through her as the realization hit her full force. She would do everything in her power to gain her revenge against the man. Mara Jade looked up at the Sith Lord who had shown her the truth. "I'll kill him. I will do whatever you ask, just let me kill that blasted man."

Vader smiled under the mask. This was coming together quite nicely. An extra "hand" in helping to kill Palpatine could always be useful. "That pleasure will belong to me, Jade, but you will have your chance to go up against the man. For now, you will remain here to train. Palpatine will not be easy to take down, and I find your current abilities to be wanting."

Mara growled before turning on her heel to go find the training room. This arrangement was going to become irritating quite easily. Still, she could not complain for Vader had shown her the truth and had allowed her to live. Odd, he never did that. Perhaps the Jedi's request to allow her to live had had some influence. Then again, no one was able to influence the Sith Lord what with his indomitable ways. Still, the Jedi had managed it. Maybe it had something to do with their father-son relationship or something. She would have to thank the Jedi later and maybe ask him how he was able to influence Lord Vader so easily when she next saw him.


	8. Chapter 8

Luke was surprised at how things had turned out. His father had allowed the woman to live, but what held more sway within his mind was the fact that the man had stated that he planned to kill the Emperor. He said it so easily. But, didn't he already know this fact? Hadn't Vader offered him the chance to rule the galaxy with him? It would have meant that Palpatine would have to be dead for that situation to occur. Perhaps it was more surprising for Luke to hear the man reveal his plans to another person. He certainly wouldn't say a word to anyone, but how could Vader be so certain that the woman would not say anything? And, if the Vader was so willing to divulge this information, then who else knew of his plans? The young Jedi had so many questions and so few answers. He doubted that Vader would give him the answers though. The man didn't seem to care what became of him.

Vader knew that his son was confused by his recent actions. At Bespin, he had revealed his identity to the boy, yet he had said very little to the boy since he had been here at Bast. The child had to be confused for he certainly was not acting as a father should. Then again, the Sith Lord was not entirely certain how a father was supposed to act. He had no experience in the field. He knew how to fight, how to survive wars, but he knew nothing about parenting. How was he supposed to break the ice with the child? He knew that it would be essential for the boy to trust him before he could attempt to sway the Jedi to turn to the Dark Side. He would have to talk with the boy eventually, and now was a good a time as any.

"Are you comfortable here?" Luke heard his father ask. What an odd question for a Sith Lord to ask. The Sith usually could care less about the comfort of others. Maybe Vader only cared because he was his son, or maybe it had something to do with his plans to kill Palpatine. Still, he was overanalyzing such a simple question.

He nodded, trying to look in the direction of his father. "Yeah, it's nice here. I only wish that I was able to see it…"

Vader was reminded once again of his son's blindness. The medics hadn't been able to return his sight, but the Force could perhaps be helpful. It could be used for healing, but that aspect of the Force had never been easy for him. He did know, however, that Mara Jade was quite proficient in this field. Palpatine had ensured that all of his Hands had the ability, not for their own safety but for the slim chance that if he was ever to be harmed that they could heal him.

"The Force can be used in many ways, Luke. It can be used to heal injuries. Though I am not well endowed in this trick of the Force, Mara Jade is. She may be able to help you," Vader stated.

"Oh, great," Luke replied. "Only problem is that I have no idea where she went. If I try to find her, I'll probably get lost or walk into a wall or something." He was speaking the truth. Luke hadn't been out of this room. While he could find his way around this room, he doubted that he would fare so well if he were to venture into the rest of the Castle. He didn't know why he bothered telling Vader about the fact that he would likely become lost, though. He didn't expect the man to help him in any way.

The Sith Lord was able to pick up on his son's thoughts for he was not even trying to shield his mind from his father. He was either doing this on purpose, or he had never been taught how to do so. It seemed odd that Kenobi would never have taught Luke such a basic ability. He cursed the man once again. The dead Jedi knew full well what could become of a vulnerable Jedi if his mind were not guarded. Vader could only hope that Luke was choosing not to shield his thoughts, that he had been taught how to keep others from entering his mind so easily.

"I will take you to her," the Sith finally stated upon sensing Luke's unease when he hadn't said anything. The child certainly didn't know him well. His crew knew well enough that he could fall into long periods of thought. It was quite irksome that his crew knew more about him than his own son. Should it not be the other way around? If he had never joined the Dark Side, that would most certainly be the case. The past could not be undone, though. He had made his choice long ago and this was the price he was to pay. He only thanked the Force that he was granted a son in the first place. "Come, follow, and I will bring you to her."

"But…I can't see you," Luke replied. He did not like feeling so helpless, especially in front of someone like Darth Vader. He had to keep reminding himself that the Sith Lord was his father, though. Hopefully, the man would never harm him again.

Vader stopped at the door to look back at the boy who had not moved. "You can hear me, can you not?"

"Well, yes." the Jedi replied. Who couldn't what with that respirator of his?

The Sith Lord tried to ignore that last thought coming from his son. He needn't be reminded of his condition. "Then use that to lead you. I can promise you that it certainly won't stop. If it does, well, then we'll have a bit of a problem."

Luke stared in the direction of his father. He could not have heard that right. It could not be that his father was trying to joke with him. Jokes were not something that he would ever associate with the Dark Lord of the Sith. He just decided to go ahead and accept that his father was perhaps trying to break the ice between them. If this were the case, it certainly was an odd way to go about it. He was so used to Vader always being serious. These thoughts continued to dominate his mind as he followed after the sound of his father breathing.

It was quite amusing that Luke thought him incapable of humor. While it was true that he rarely did joke, he had done so plenty back during the Clone Wars. If Luke only knew of him in that time, perhaps it would not seem so odd for the boy to hear him try to be humorous.

The two came to the entrance of the training room. They could hear the sound of a clashing lightsaber. Clearly, Mara had taken Vader's words to heart. She apparently wanted to hone her skills so she could be of some use to him when they eventually made their move against Palpatine. Luke looked in the direction of the sound before turning to his father to thank him for bringing him here. Maybe he could get his vision back, if Mara Jade was willing to help him.

"You should be safe here," Vader stated, watching his son who was blindly staring toward the former Emperor's Hand. "If she gives you any trouble, you need only let me know."

"Right," Luke replied, scratching at the back of his head. Slowly, he turned to enter the training room. He could only hope that Mara Jade would sense him as he approached her and wouldn't take his head off. That certainly wouldn't please his father, who had gone off to do whatever it is Sith Lords do when at home.

A/N- Yay for Luke/Vader bonding? I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always, the disclaimer stands that I do not own Star Wars, sadly.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N- I'm sorry for not updating over the weekend! Don't hate me. Darth Reality got in the way again, making me run a competition and do college work. He really isn't a nice Sith Lord. Anyways, on with the story! Disclaimer says I no own Star Wars. Disclaimer no nice. LOL JK

Being blind was something that Luke was quickly becoming accustomed to. While he certainly did not like to be in the room with someone using a lightsaber, there was little he could do about the situation. Vader had said Mara Jade could possibly help to restore his vision. As he slowly approached the woman, who was training with a droid, he could make out the sounds of her footfalls. She was putting too much weight onto her feet. She was always off-balance. Why wouldn't Palpatine fix that? Surely a trained Sith Lord would be able to see something like that and want to fix it. But, maybe the man kept her like this on purpose-to keep her at a disadvantage if she were ever to betray him. So, it could be the case that Palpatine had done the same to his father, couldn't it?

Mara Jade turned to face the blind boy bringing her lightsaber up. She hadn't sensed him coming towards her and very nearly took a swipe at him. She was able to stop the blade from impaling the boy at the last moment. She huffed at him, "Couldn't you have said something?"

She's got a temper, the young Jedi thought. He smiled in what he thought to be her direction. Without the sound of her weapon, he could not exactly pinpoint her direct location, though he had some idea of it thanks to the Force. Luke simply shrugged. "Sorry. I thought you'd sense me. You know, when you can't see you can pick up on sounds a lot easier. Listening to you practice, I can tell that you're putting too much weight on your feet when you go on the offensive. That'll-"

Her lightsaber was back to life, pointing at his face. "You do not tell me what I am doing right or wrong, Jedi. Palpatine, himself, trained me. You haven't had a formal teacher."

The Jedi simply stepped to the side of the raised blade, taking a step closer to her. "Now, that is where you are wrong. Do you honestly think I would have escaped Vader if I had no training? Yes, it was a trick of Fate that I survived, but the fact is that I did. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about."

The woman growled, taking a step toward him, bringing the blade close to him as if to go on the attack. She was surprised when the Jedi suddenly came forward as well, his foot coming behind her own. He was able to take her down and remove the weapon from her hand. A blind boy had just taken down one of the Emperor's most lethal Hands-_former Hands, _she reminded herself. As she stared up at him, her weapon now deactivated and the hilt on _his _belt, the woman sighed. "Alright, I guess that you have a point, Jedi. Now why are you here? I would have thought your _father _would be training you or trying to find a way to fix your vision."

Luke smiled again, offering a hand in the direction of her voice. As he pulled her back to her feet and returned her weapon, the Jedi replied, "Well, that's why I'm here. Vader says that you know how to heal people using the Force."

"He should be able to fix you up, then. In case you've forgotten, he does know the Force," came the reply. She did not really like this boy. She could not explain it, but there was something about him that just got under her skin. He was far too happy for someone that was blind and who had recently discovered his dead father was Vader. Then again, she could use some happiness in her life. But, where in Force's name had that come from? She didn't need this annoying Jedi to make her happy.

The Jedi scratched at the back of his head again. He could sense that this woman certainly did not like him in any way, shape, or form. How was he supposed to ask this woman to help him? He had already insulted her fighting style and taken her down. He highly doubted that she would be willing to help him. The Jedi knew he could always call upon his father to help him out, but that most certainly would lead to the woman hating him. And if they were to work together to take down the Emperor, it certainly wouldn't be useful for her to hate him. Palpatine would surely use her anger toward him against her and to his advantage. But, when had he come to understand the Emperor's psyche so well? He had never met the man. The Jedi simply wrote it off as being around his Sith Lord of a father for too long. Still, it wouldn't do any harm to ask her. If she said no, then he could bring Vader into the situation-one that would likely turn sour quickly. Trying to avoid a possibly violent confrontation, Luke finally replied, "Vader says he isn't great with this Force healing stuff, and I have never been trained how to do it. So, he said that you might be able to help me out."

Mara stared at him for a long moment before outright laughing. "And, why would I help you?"

Luke glared at her, well he thought he did. Again, being blind made it rather difficult to pinpoint her exact location. Still, he did not like being laughed at. It miffed him. But, wasn't getting upset-angry even-or something as trivial as her laughing at him of the Dark Side? Ignoring that possibility, the young Jedi replied, "Look, it's pretty clear that you don't like me."

"Is that so, blind boy?"

"-but, we're going to be stuck working together whether we like it or not when we go to take the Emperor down. Now, you can either try to help me out, or you can deal with me being dead weight when we try to kill him. It's up to you, but I'd rather be able to defend myself."

Mara Jade crossed her arms over her chest, something Luke couldn't see of course. The Jedi was right in what he had to say. Her former Master would most certainly exploit Luke's weakness. And it was no hidden fact that Vader would give his life to protect his son. If that were to happen, where would she be left? The likely answer would be dead, or worse. The only choice she had was to try and help him to the best of her ability.

"Alright, fine. You make _another _valid point. Look, I'll do my best, but I am giving no guarantees that I'll be able to fix you. So, come here. Let's see what I can do," Mara stated while indicating for him to come to her.

Luke rolled his eyes. People certainly did forget rather quickly that he couldn't see where they were or what they were doing. He sighed, and simply made his way in the direction that he expected her to be. The Jedi managed to trip over something. He managed to catch a hold of Mara on his way down, bringing her with him. Both fell to the floor, Luke landing atop of her just as the door opened.

The young Jedi stared blindly in the direction of whoever had entered the room. The sound of that ever present ventilator quickly told him who it was.

The Sith Lord looked down upon his son and Mara Jade. She was looking at him with wide eyes, while Luke simply seemed to be waiting for him to say something. He did not like to think what the two had possibly been up to. He turned, deciding that it was time to leave before his mind began to process what he had walked in on. "I will leave you two then."

"Nothing happened!" both the Jedi and the former Hand shouted at the departing figure.

Vader waved a hand in dismissal. "I rather not know about it."

"But nothing happened!" they shouted again. Luke had still yet to get up.

The Sith Lord left, wondering how his son had managed to charm Mara Jade so quickly. Again, he really rather not think about it.

A/N- Did you like the ending? xD I'm sorry if you think Mara Jade is out of character. I never wrote her and I never really read anything with her in it. Sorry if she is, though! _


	10. Chapter 10

A/N- You all know the drill by now; I don't own Star Wars. Thank you all so much for the support, by the way. It really does help. ;D

Three days had passed since that little _incident _in the training room. Neither Luke nor Mara wanted to show their faces to the Sith Lord. They could only imagine what Vader had thought upon finding them in that position. It certainly wasn't something that either wanted to focus on. They were only supposed to be working together to try to take down the Emperor, not find a relationship. That was exactly what they had been doing-figuring out a way to end Palpatine. It just didn't end as they had foreseen on that day and now Vader thought they were an item.

Mara had refused to speak to Luke since Vader had walked in on them. She had, however, tried to restore his vision. The Jedi was now able to make out fuzzy images of the world around him. It certainly wasn't true vision, but it was better than nothing. He wasn't about to complain. At the very least he could make his way around the Castle without walking into a wall. He wasn't able to make out any defining features of the place, but what little he could see led him to believe that there really wasn't that much to be seen. It appeared that this place was all about efiecency and held no room for nonsense, much like its owner. The young Jedi still knew very little about his father, and that was a continued source of annoyance for him. His father expected him to help take down the Emperor and rule the galaxy with him. How was he supposed to do that when he knew next to nothing about the man? Yes, he could always find information about the man but that would likely be skewed with Imperial propaganda. He wanted to know the man, not the image the Empire put forth of him-an indomitable fist of dictatorship at the command of Palpatine alone. Luke wanted to know the man that was once Anakin Skywalker, his father.

"That name no longer has any meaning to me, son," the voice of his father suddenly said.

The young Jedi practically jumped out of his skin. Had he really been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't sensed, nor heard, his father? It seemed impossible. He was supposed to be a Jedi-aware of his surroundings at all times. If it had been Palpatine in this hall-

"You would be dead," the Sith Lord finished the young Jedi's thought aloud. Could his son really not know how to shield his mind? It certainly couldn't be this easy to enter the boy's mind. The child might be a tad too innocent for his own good, but he couldn't possibly be idiotic enough to leave his mind so open to any Force user he was close to. If that were the case, it would be an enormous weakness, one of which Palpatine would not hesitate but to exploit. It had been eating at him for too long now, so the Sith Lord asked, "Do you know how to shield your mind from others? It certainly does not seem so, what with you broadcasting all of your thoughts and feelings."

Luke looked in the direction of his father. He could make out a blurry image of that iconic black mask that haunted so many people's nightmares. Still, he had no idea what his father was talking about. Master Yoda and Obi-Wan had spoken of quieting his mind and burying his emotions but never of shielding his mind from others. It was a completely foreign concept to him. "Um, no. I don't know how to do that."

Annoyance filled the Dark Lord. Could his old Master really have been so lax as to not train the boy how to guard himself? He certainly could remember a time when Obi-Wan had harped on the need for _him _to learn to shield his own mind. But, where had that thought come from? He never focused or thought on that time prior to joining the Dark Side. Writing it off as his son having too much influence over him, Vader turned from the boy to look out the window to the acid rain storm which was kicking up in its strength. It always rained here.

The Jedi came to stand beside his father to try and gain a glimpse of the outside world. How long had he been here now? He could not remember, but he did know that Vader had been here for nearly a week now. It seemed odd that the Commander of the Imperial Forces would be staying away from his command for such a long period.

"I really must train you in how to shield your mind, my son," Vader stated, picking up his son's thoughts once again. He could feel mistrust coming off of the boy. The Sith Lord had to remind himself that the boy wished to play the part of the Jedi. He would be fearful that he would start down the Dark Path to "never return to the Light" if he were to accept help from a Sith. Had he too once been like this during his time as a Jedi? It was a very likely possibility. Still looking out at the storm, he continued, "You have no need to fear my help in this matter Luke. Shielding one's mind is not exclusive to the Dark or the Light Side. No harm will come to you in accepting my training." Vader watched the boy closely as he seemed to be considering how to answer. He tried to ignoring the conflicting thoughts Luke was broadcasting. It was a wonder that no one else could hear them with how loudly the boy was able to project them.

He was about to try to persuade the boy once again when the sounds of engines caught his attention. It was an Imperial-class transport vessel, flanked heavily by Tie Fighters. It did not take Vader long to realize who had come to Vjun. How could he have forgotten that his Master planned to stop in for a surprise visit? He was never this careless. The Sith Lord quickly began to usher Luke toward the Forceless, white room. The only hope he had was that his Master had yet to sense Luke's presence. And there was the problem of Mara Jade to contend with. The problem at hand though, was to get Luke to safety. Palpatine was the reason Padme was dead and gone. He was not about to lose another one he cared about to the man, especially when he had the ability to prevent it.

"Wait a minute! What's going on?!" Luke began trying to pull away from the death grip Vader had around his forearm. He was being dragged somewhere by the man and Luke wanted to know what in Force's name was going on. He had heard the sounds of an engine and some Tie Fighters, but why would that set Vader off? He was an Imperial. Tie Fighters should not be something that would set him into action, unless it was… "Palpatine is here, isn't he?"

"I am afraid he is," came a sickly sweet voice from behind the two.

Both Sith Lord and Jedi slowly turned to find the one they had been trying to avoid. The transport had been a decoy. Palpatine had already arrived at some unknown time and had likely been tracking the two Skywalkers long before the decoy had even shown up. This was not going to end well…

A/N- Mwa Ha Ha! Cliff hanger of doooooom! LOL 8D


	11. Chapter 11

A/N- I'm sorry for leaving you with a cliff hanger and then not updating quickly. Jedi Master "Writer's Block" got in the way. He's such a fatty. *laughs* Anyways, I don't own Star Wars, and this story is being done for fun.

Mara Jade did not particularly like Bast Castle. It was dark and dull, though she would gladly reside here in place of the Imperial Palace-it was over decorated, showing off Palpatine's great wealth. It was no secret in the galaxy that Vader held a vast amount of wealth, so it confused the former Hand as to why the Sith Lord didn't spend at least some time making this place feel lived in. Then again, Vader was all about getting the job done with the least amount of distractions. Perhaps he believed that décor was useless to him, that it would only get in the way. She wasn't certain and didn't plan to dwell on it.

Her attention was pulled away from what little décor was in the Castle when she sensed a presence that was new to this place, but certainly not new to her. Vader's Force signature was something she knew-it was dark and mysterious. Luke's Force signature was something that she was able to identify without effort-it was light and filled with potential. This new Force signature was something she wished was not here. It was cold, cruel, and seductive. She could not believe that the Emperor was here. How could he have found them so easily? Surely if the man planned to come here for a "visit," Vader would have known about it. Now was not the time to focus on that though. She had to get to wherever it was Palpatine was before he would have the chance to get to Luke. The young Jedi was the center of their plans to overthrow the Emperor. If the Galactic Ruler got his hands on Skywalker, it would be all over.

Luke was trapped. He knew this as he stood rooted to his spot, looking from the Emperor to his father. The Rebels had abandoned him, and now he was facing the man he wished he would never have to meet. There was no way he could ask his father to get him out of this situation, for the man had no choice but to comply with his Master. The young Jedi wished that there was some way that his father could defend him, could find a way so he wouldn't have to be handed over to this monster of a man. If this man had never come to power and taken his father as his apprentice, perhaps none of this would be happening. The galaxy could be living in peace, and he could have known his father his entire life. His life had been ruined before it even began as a result of the Emperor.

The elder Sith Lord smiled, his yellow eyes glinting as he picked up on the young Jedi's thoughts. This would be all too easy, turning the boy to the Dark Side. Just like his father, the boy had weakness that could be exploited to bring about his fall from the Light, and all it would take to do so would be to give the child a little history lesson. The boy did deserve to know the galaxy's most guarded secret; it was because of him after all that such a secret even existed.

"Now child, your thoughts betray you. Why would you blame me for something that was beyond my control? Your father came to _me _for help and willingly joined the Dark Side. He wanted the power to prevent the one he cared about from dying, your mother. He took to the Darkness quite well, if all of the Jedi Younglings he killed are any indication." The Emperor began to weave his tail. He had the boy's full attention now and that of his apprentice's as well. The anger drifting off of Vader only served to fuel him. The Skywalkers made this all too easy for him. Both father and son allowed their emotions to control them far too easily. Perhaps that was what made seducing Anakin to the Dark Side so incredibly easy.

"Your father had the power to save your mother from death, but the power became too much for him. He wanted more of it and no longer cared who he had to harm in order to gain it. Your mother tried to stop him, but your dear father did not want to hear it. He killed her." Palpatine continued in his little story. The thoughts that were running through the young Jedi's head were music to the dark man's mind. With what little training he had, it would not take much for the boy to go over the edge and succumb to his base feelings. "Yet, you managed to survive. Would you not like to avenge the mother you never knew? Avenge for yourself the life you never had the chance to know." The bait was now there. All it would take was Luke going for it. The Jedi would fall, just like his father.

The young Jedi looked at the black mask of his father, of the man he knew so very little about. This man had caused nothing but suffering in his life. The man had harmed his friends. He had tortured Leia, and it was because of him that Han had been taken by the bounty hunter. Vader was the driving force behind the Imperials. While orders did come through Palpatine, it was not the Emperor killing and torturing those who opposed the Empire. The Jedi had been told not to underestimate Palpatine, but perhaps it was worse that he had underestimated Vader. The man claimed to be his father, but Luke now wanted nothing to do with the man. He had destroyed any chance he had at a normal life. The man had killed his mother, wanting nothing more than power from the Dark Side. Anger began to fill him as he turned away from Vader, turned his back on the man. He would do as the Emperor said; he would have revenge on his father.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N- Jedi Master "Writer's Block" is such an absolute fatty! He keeps getting in my way. Anyways, you finally get an update. Sorry for how long it took. I don't own Star Wars in any way, shape, or form.

Something most definitely was wrong, of that Mara Jade had no doubts. She was making her way as quickly as she possibly could to those three distinctly different Force signatures. One of those signatures was becoming far darker, and it did not take much of her intuition to figure out that Luke was slowly falling toward the Darkness. It did not seem at all possible. The boy was as bright in the Force as Vader's armor was black. How could someone so infused in the Light possibly consider falling? Then again, her former Master knew seduction quite well. He had likely found some weakness of the young Jedi. But, would it not make sense for Vader to protect the boy? It seemed like the Sith Lord cared about his son, so she doubted Vader would allow Palpatine to twist his son into an agent of evil.

Her lightsaber came to her hand and was activated, defending herself, before she had even a conscious thought of what she was doing. She had been preoccupied with her thoughts on the young Jedi. It seemed that the Jedi was able to do this to her-distract her-more than she cared to think about. The blonde haired boy shouldn't be able to hold such sway over her thoughts. It was because of her thoughts on him that Mara Jade had walked directly to the three Force users she had been able to sense. Force lightning was now being thrown at her with an unrelenting power, one she had never known nor experienced during her training with Palpatine. It appeared that Vader was right. Her training was wanting. It would not be long before he overwhelmed her defense.

The young Jedi felt such anger at the revelation Palpatine had provided him with. His father had killed his mother, had nearly killed him in the process. How easy it would be to give into these dark emotions, to let the Dark Side take him and allow him to strike down his father. But…he was supposed to be a Jedi, wasn't he? These thoughts of revenge were certainly not something that a Jedi should be thinking about. Despite the man's actions, Vader was still his father. It was an unfortunate fact, but it was something he would be forced to live with.

The sight of Mara Jade suddenly running toward them, only for Palpatine to attack her snapped Luke out of his thoughts. Even with his blurred vision, he could clearly see that the former Hand-a phrase never fully explained to him-was quickly losing. It would only take a few moments longer for the Sith Master to overwhelm her defense, and there was no telling how quickly Palpatine would kill her after that. It could be a matter of minutes or he could draw the death out. At the very least, Vader never did things like this. If he had to take a life, he made it quick, for the most part. But, he did not want to focus on that right now, did not want to focus on his murderous father. The young Jedi wanted to save Mara Jade from this-this monster. He wanted to save her and leave both Sith Lords on this Force forsaken planet and never look back.

Luke planned to do something, anything, to try and help the woman, who was barely able to keep her weapon raised against Palpatine's onslaught. He planned on being the Jedi Hero, like his father had once been during the Clone Wars. He planned all of this in his head, only to feel a strong, artificial hand come around his mouth, another encircling his upper arm to pull him along down the corridor. The Jedi tried to struggle, looking in the direction of Vader. They couldn't do this! They could not just allow the Emperor to kill Mara Jade. Vader had promised her that she could help in their disposal of Palpatine. They could not leave her to the hands of that beast. But, as he was forced down the corridor at an increasing speed, he quickly realized that there was no hope. They would not be going back for her. She would die at the hands of the Emperor while they left, while Jedi and Sith left the scene to go back to that all-white room, that Force-less room.

Vader released his son as they came through the door, locking it behind them of course. Things were most certainly not working out as he had planned. Not only had Palpatine shown up, but he had filled the boy's head with half truths and lies. The boy had been turned against him by these statements taken so out of context. He wanted to tell Luke the truth of what happened all of those years ago. He wanted to tell the boy that he truly did not know how Padme had died. Most of all, he wanted to tell his son that everything he had done had been in an effort to save not only his wife but his unborn son as well. There was no time for that, however. There was no time to try and regain what little of Luke's trust he had gained. To take the time to explain what had happened those years ago would put the child at risk of Palpatine finding them. If Luke was to escape, he would need to act quickly.

A ripple through the Force told both father and son just what had become of Mara Jade. She was gone; her Force presence had completely left this place along with her life Force. Vader could sense his son's unhappiness at this latest turn of events. What could he do to console the boy? It was not like he did this on a daily basis. It was usually _he _doing the killing. He never gave a second thought to those he killed, to those who grieved at the loss of a loved one. Being a Sith Lord had numbed him to those old thoughts, those Jedi ways. Perhaps going back to that old habit would help his son to make him see that his father was still human. It could show that he still felt things, that he was not just an unfeeling, cold machine like the rebel propaganda stated.

"You let him kill her," Luke stated softly, unable to bring his eyes to meet the masked face of his father-if he could give the man the title. A father was always supposed to be there for you, to protect you and help you. So far, Vader had been nothing but trouble in his life. As a result of the man, he had lost a hand; as a result of one of Vader's lackeys, he was half blind; as a result of this Sith Lord, the single most powerful man in the galaxy wanted him likely dead or worse; and as a result of his father, he had never had the chance at a normal life. The Jedi had no choices, no where to turn. He could not go back to the Rebels for they wanted him for falsified treason. If he stayed here with his father, the Emperor would turn him to the Dark Side. Luke would not choose either. There had to be an escape.

"There is an escape, my son," Vader replied to his son's thoughts. An unseen button on one of the white walls opened a hidden walkway. The Sith Lord gestured towards it. "Follow this to the end and you will come to a landing platform. Take the TIE fighter and leave this place. Do not try to contact me. Do not go anywhere I would think to look for you. Remain hidden and train in your Jedi ways. Failing to do these things will put you at risk of Palpatine finding you. Use clearance Blue; it will get you in to wherever you wish to go." The Sith turned from the boy, ready to face his Master's rage at the boy's miraculous escape. If Luke was safe though, he would be more than willing to take whatever his Master would throw at him. What could the old man do? He certainly did not fear death or pain. The only thing Palpatine could use against him was the boy, and with Luke gone that could not happen. It was not the option he wanted. The Sith Lord wanted nothing more than to know his son, but it was not an option, at least not for the moment anyway. Perhaps later he would have the chance to get to know him.

"How am I supposed to fly if I'm half blind?" Luke questioned, unaware of his father's thoughts. If he could only know what was going on inside the older man's mind, perhaps the Jedi would be able to forgive him for his actions. At the moment, though, young Skywalker was unable to do so.

Vader smiled under his mask. "There was one part of your X-Wing that managed to survive the crash you suffered upon arriving here. You will find R2 is quite capable of flying almost anything."

Luke nodded. Yes, that made sense. The little droid was quite capable when he wanted to be. Of course, the droid could also be a brat when he wanted to be. But, wait…how was it that Vader knew of R2's capabilities, and how did the man know the droids nickname?

"R2 flew with me during the Clone Wars. He was a gift to me from your mother," Vader stated, again picking up on his son's thoughts. "Now, go, my son, before Palpatine finds you here."

Luke turned to leave. This was his chance. He had somewhere to turn, a way out of the mess his life had become, but he could not understand why Vader would let him go. Hadn't Palpatine wanted him to join the Dark Side? It was logical for Vader to hand him over to his Master. "Why are you doing this?"

"You are my son," came the simple reply. As the Sith made his way to leave the room, Luke could have sworn he picked up on one last bit from his father, "and I love you." Luke turned and left, not sure at what lay ahead of him. It would be the Force's will that would decide his fate.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N- You all really underestimate the powers of the Emperor; that's all I have to say. Thanks for the reviews, by the way. They are like Christmas presents. :D As always Mr. Disclaimer says that I do not own Star Wars.

Mara Jade lay at the feet of the Emperor. She expected him to end her life, but he did not do anything but glare down on her with those sickly yellow eyes. Something seemed to change in the room; her own Force signature was gone. She knew that it was possible to cloak oneself in the Force, but no one had ever been able to block out her own signature. This was a foreign concept to her. What purpose would Palpatine have in hiding her in the Force? It was clear that she was no longer loyal to the man. There should be no reason for him to wish to keep her alive. He had something planned. The workings of a plot shone through in his eyes.

There was something in her mind, suddenly. The former Hand knew what it was, knew who it was. She had never been able to keep this man out of her mind, but the assassin put up all the efforts she could to throw the man from her mind. It always disturbed her, but now it was frightening. Vader had removed that block from her mind, had removed that control the Emperor had held over her. If the man was to find that Vader had done this, there was no telling what heights Palpatine's anger would rise to. The Emperor loved to control those around him, and if there was one thing the man hated in addition to Jedi, it was to lose that control. She tried to hide away deep in her mind who had released the block. Vader was her only hope of being freed from this man, but said Sith Lord was no where to be seen. He had disappeared with Luke some time ago. She couldn't really blame the man, though. He only wanted to keep Luke safe.

The Sith Lord Master suddenly pulled away from her mind. She had learned to guard her thoughts-what an annoying development. She had always been the most talented of his Hands. Perhaps that was one of the reasons he was allowing her to live. That mental block would need to go back into place, though. He would not risk having the assassin coming after him again, despite the feeble threat she posed to him. He needed her loyalty. He knelt over her, a hand cupping her chin. She tried to pull away, only for him to strengthen his grip on her. "Who released your mental block, child?"

"Skywalker," she answered, glaring into those yellow eyes without fear. Mara Jade knew that this man would sense if she was to lie. What she said to him was technically a truth. Vader had once gone by the name of Skywalker, or so she thought. It only worked to her advantage that Palpatine would think Luke before he would think of Vader. It was, of course, putting Luke in more danger, but she could no longer sense the boy in this place. If he was gone from this place, the Jedi would be safe. Perhaps that's where Vader had taken the boy-away. Maybe Vader had helped his boy to escape, but that did not explain why said Sith Lord's Force presence had also winked out. But, just as she noticed it to be gone, it suddenly returned.

Palpatine slowly pulled himself up to stand at his full height. "Skywalker," he said softly, thoughts running through his mind. If the boy knew how to do such a thing with the Force, he was indeed becoming a true threat to the Empire. He reached out with the Force, trying to find the young Jedi in this place of darkness. The child needed to be turned quickly if things were to work to his advantage. It was with a growl of frustration that the Sith Lord found the Jedi's Force signature to be quickly leaving this place. How had he escaped Vader? The child was half blind and weak as compared to Vader, as compared to…his father. A dark anger came to him. He did not have to guess as to how the Jedi child had escaped. His _daddy _had let him escape.

The man turned his anger toward the former Hand, who was finally managing to bring herself to her feet. He ripped his way into her mind, throwing aside any effort she put up to guard herself against him. She fell to her knees again. Vader was the only one barely able to resist this sort of full out mental attack. How did this child expect to be able to guard herself when even a fully trained Sith Lord had difficulty doing so? It was quite humorous, really. Erecting that mental wall in her mind again was simple-how depressing. He had hoped the child would be able to put up some sort of defense against this sort of thing. Then again, he had purposely never trained her in this sort of thing. She needed to be kept weak in order to hold control over her. He pulled away from her mind, watching as the look of defiance in her eyes changed to one of confused loyalty.

"What-what happened, my Master?" Mara Jade asked, fingers coming up to rub at her temples. Why did she have such an incredible headache? She had come here looking for Skywalker. Now she found herself staring up at her Master, feeling pain from Force lightning. Had she displeased him in some way? She could not remember. There was a part of her memory that was…gone, blocked away from her.

Palpatine smiled, unaware that she could sense the mental block in her mind. "What happened is of little importance, Jade. Your orders remain the same, child. Go and find Skywalker. I want him dead. Do you understand?" This could work quite well for him if Skywalker believed Jade was on his side. He would trust her and she would only betray that trust. The child's death would also serve a suiting punishment for his apprentice. Vader would have nothing left to distract him from his duties to the Empire, from his duties to the Dark Side. It was perfect, he thought as he watched the woman turn and run off to obey his newest orders. Everything would go as planned.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N- I think Master Writer's Block likes me. He won't leave me alone. Anyway, you all know I do not own Star Wars, but there's the disclaimer.

Luke had no idea where to go. He was supposed hideaway in some place where Vader would not be able to find him. The Rebels had been able to keep him safe, but he could not go back there. The young Jedi truly could not understand why the High Council would ever think him guilty of treason. He had done nothing but give everything he had to them. He had risked his life on numerous occasions for them. Maybe he was on the wrong side. Maybe the side he had been fighting for had become the very evil he was trying to destroy, but he could not very well join the Empire. He had Palpatine trying to turn him to the Dark Side, and Vader…well; he did not know what the man was up to.

Palpatine said that his father had killed his mother. Why, then, would Vader want to keep his son safe if the mother of his child had meant nothing? Luke could not understand it. Surely Palpatine would not be happy with his "escape," and Vader would be made to take the blame for it. His father had never been a part of his life, so why was it that the man cared about him now? There had to be some reason why the man had taken such a sudden interest in him. It could not be him wanting to convert his son to the Dark Side any longer. If that were the case, he would have already found himself at the mercy of Palpatine. So, what exactly did the Sith Lord want with him? He knew that the man wanted to take down the Emperor with his help, but how would that happen with him being sent away into hiding? It was most likely that the Sith Lord had something planned, but Luke wished that he could be clued in on that plan. He had so many questions and so few answers.

He sighed, looking out at the stars before him. Still, his vision was blurred, so he had to rely on R2 to pilot the TIE. It was quite odd to think that his father had once owned the little droid, yet when the droid had first come to the Jedi, it had said that it belonged to old Ben. But, Obi-Wan said that he had never owned a droid. The Jedi groaned, feeling a headache coming on. Clearly, there was a whole history that had never been revealed to him. Someone had to tell him what had happened to lead up to his mother's death and his own birth. But, who did he have? Vader had sent him off, saying not to have contact with him. Obi-Wan might know the history of these things, but he was gone.

A planet soon came into view. The Jedi had been so focused on his thoughts that he had not been paying attention to where R2 had decided to take them. Odd, he never did things like that. The young Jedi loved flying and was always on alert when in space. Even with his blurred vision, Luke had no trouble making out the colors of this planet. It was an angry red in some places while other areas were covered in black. Luke pulled up the information on what this place was, for it most certainly did not look friendly.

"The Mustafar system, R2? This place is controlled by the Empire. Are you trying to get me killed?" Luke asked, knowing the droid could hear and understand him.

_The Empire does not invest much time here. Vader won't look for you here. _The messaged reply of the droid's speech came up on the screen.

Luke sighed, simply accepting the fact. The Empire controlled so many systems throughout the galaxy. The young man had to wonder how many systems were like this one-controlled by the Empire but with no involvement from the Empire itself. Luke could not see a point in wanting to control something if it was never to be used. There had to be some reason why Palpatine would want to control this place. Perhaps it had something to do with the natural resources it had?

He was able to land well enough, only to see that there was an entourage of Imperials waiting for him at the end of the landing platform. So much for little Imperial involvement, Luke thought. This certainly would not end well if they were to identify him, and all Imperials knew who he was-the Destroyer of the Death Star. He ripped away part of the cloth from the pilot's seat and used it to cover the lower half of his face. It was a bad disguise, but it was all that he had. So, the Jedi slowly made his way out of the TIE and toward the group of waiting Imperials. They had yet to draw their weapons, though it did seem like they were less than thrilled to see him. Still, Luke was not about to complain. Glaring looks were something he would take over being shot any day.

"Who are you?" asked a man in a crisp military tone as Luke approached the group of Imperials. He was the Commander here, and he oversaw everything-including who visited this molten rock. When he had seen a special-class TIE fighter making its way to the landing platform, he had identified the craft as belonging to none other than Lord Vader. He had acted quickly, assembling the men in order to make a proper welcome for the Sith Lord. And this, this _boy, _most certainly was not Vader.

An identity, he needed a fake identity. Why had he not thought of this before? Then, an idea came to him. He had come here in Vader's TIE. Luke certainly remembered the craft from when it had nearly shot him down during the battle at the Death Star. One day, Luke would really need to thank Han again for saving him, but now was not the time to think on the past. He did wonder, however, if Leia had found the man. Still, he knew how to answer this man. The Rebels thought that he was working for Vader, so why shouldn't the Imperials think the same?

"Who I am makes very little difference, Commander, but I am Lord Vader's apprentice," Luke replied, eyeing the man's rank displayed on his uniform with his constant blurred vision. He was thankful that he was able to properly identify the ranks of the Imperials. At least the Rebels had taught him something useful. He straightened his back, pulling himself up to his full height. He was by no means tall, but he was going to have to display confidence if he was to convince this man he worked for Vader. "I will be staying here, for the time being in order to ensure that everything is running as it should, until I am contacted by Lord Vader. Perhaps if this place meets my standards, I will make mention of it to him." Things seemed to be going well, Luke figured as he began to stride past the Imperials. Fear was written on their face.

The Commander was not buying this though. The other men may be easily tricked, but he was not. This child could not possibly be connected to Vader. He signaled for the men to raise their weapons, to train them on the Jedi. He gave the signal for them to fire.

A warning from the Force flashed through the Jedi. He had found a lightsaber in the TIE before he had taken off. Vader had left it there for him as a form of protection. Luke had only briefly looked it over before hooking it to his belt. Now, that lightsaber was in his hand and blocking away the shots from the men. This sort of thing was something he could do with his eyes closed, and he might as well have been what with his blurred vision. He did notice, however, that the blade of the weapon was red. He should have expected this, seeing as who had given him the weapon.

The men fell to the floor one by one, injured in some way or another. With no one firing on him, Luke once again began his way towards the shelter from the elements. He paused, though, at the Commander's side. "Next time, they will be dead." The Jedi allowed himself to slip into the Darkness just enough to let his eyes change to that sickly yellow color. Seeing the man's eyes widen with fear, Luke smiled as he began to walk away. He forced the Darkness out of him as he came inside of the clearly Imperial compound. This was not something he was going to enjoy.

The Commander followed after the man with the hidden face. The display with the men was proof enough that he worked for the Empire, for Vader. No one but the Sith Lord had a weapon like that, so it was clear that this boy worked for the Dark Lord. And those eyes-those eyes-were something he wished he had never seen. "I will set up accommodations for you," the Commander stated, still following the quick path the other had set. "I am Commander Asde. Anything you need, I will be able to provide. How am I to address you?"

Rebel scum, Destroyer of the Death Star, Terrorist, thought Luke. All of these terms would befall him if this Commander Asde were to discover who he was. He could not allow for that. This was a place he could hide-in plain sight. Palpatine certainly wouldn't come to a place like this, so he was safe from that threat. Vader wasn't looking for him. The only one that would know of his existence here would be this Commander. He replied, "You will call me Eryk Stadlober."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N- So, Darth Reality and Jedi Master Writer's Block are locked in mortal combat, leaving me free to update as I please. Yay! I do not own Star Wars-disclaimer.

Commander Asde was starting to doubt that man that called himself the apprentice of Lord Vader. The man seemed to be far too kind to be someone who worked for the Dark Lord of the Sith. There was also the fact that the man did not act like the typical Imperial. He was far too caring and had yet to show any signs typical that of a Sith, other than that display the man had put on when he first arrived here. It was for this reason that the Commander decided to contact Lord Vader. He knew that this could very well lead to his death, but he did not want to risk the fact that this man could be an imposter. Mustafar may not be critical to the Empire any longer, but he was not about to let it fall to a possible rebel.

The Commander straightened his uniform slightly just before the image of said Sith Lord came before him. The holographic image of the Sith Lord clearly showed that Vader was none too happy with being contacted. The man had likely been doing something important for the Empire, the Commander thought. He was an indomitable force that would stop at nothing to keep the Empire running as it should. It was perhaps this quality that made the Commander admire the Sith Lord.

"Lord Vader," the man greeted with a bow. Seeing the Sith Lord merely wave off his greeting and demand to know what he wanted, the Commander shored up his courage. It was now or never. If this brought about his death, so be it. He was possibly defending the Empire. "There is a man here, milord. He claims to be your apprentice, but I have reason to-"

"I have no apprentice, Commander," Vader interrupted.

"What would you have me do?" Asde replied, knowing full well that the Sith Lord was likely quite angered by this turn of events.

Vader seemed to consider the situation for a moment. "Allow him to remain, but ensure that he does not leave. I will come to take care of this problem." Without another word, the communication was ended. It would not take long for the Sith Lord to make it to the Mustafar system, as he was already in the Outer Rim. The emotion connected to the place, the pain and anger connected to the planet, would only serve to fuel him. Whoever was parading around as his apprentice would die very quickly.

Luke thought things were going rather well. He avoided the Imperials whenever possible and acted polite enough when they were around him. It looked like they had come to trust him, though the Commander seemed to be paying more attention to his actions as of late. It could be that the man was just worried about what he would "report to Vader" or…it could be something far worse. If this man did begin to question him, the Commander might need to be taken care of.

But, why was he thinking that way? He was a Jedi, and the Jedi did not kill people as very easily as he was thinking of doing. There were other ways to deal with people. It was just…the pull to take the man's life if he questioned him…it was tempting, seductive. The young Jedi knew that he was not falling to the Dark Side. He only used the Darkness when around the Imperials, to change his eyes to that acidic yellow of the Sith. It was not like he was really using the Dark Side, though the fear that he felt come off the Imperials was something that made him feel…he wasn't certain. It was delicious. Their fear made him feel powerful. Was this what Vader or Palpatine felt when using the Dark Side?

Skywalker's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of light footfalls behind him. He turned to find…Mara Jade. His Force signature lit up with happiness. She was still alive! He did not know how it was possible, but he was not going to question it. She was a friend, someone he could speak to about all of these conflicting thoughts he was having. He was about to greet her when her weapon came to life. The blade came far too close for comfort when a swipe was taken at his face.

"What are you doing?" Luke questioned, feeling surprised and angered by her attempt to strike him down. He could feel that Darkness calling for him to allow it to help him. He was sorely tempted to allow it to do so. Using it to change his eyes had given him his sight back, after all. It could not be all that bad, this Darkness. Maybe he would have to use it if Jade tried to attack him again. Seeing that she was not about to lower her own weapon, Luke brought his hand and activated it. As the blade came to life, the Jedi allowed the Darkness to enter him. One fight using the Dark Side would not make him a Sith by any means, he reasoned. He would be able to go back to the Light. He was strong enough.

Mara Jade glared at the Jedi. Palpatine said that he wanted this Jedi filth dead, so she most certainly intended to go through with his orders. She pressed a homing beacon on her wrist. It would alert her Master that she had found the boy. The Master wanted to see the Jedi's dead body where it was destroyed, he had said. Mustafar was the perfect place. Luke was not the most skilled person when it came to his training. Killing him would not be hard. She pressed her attack, unknowingly following the path of two former combatants-a _Battle of the Heroes_. The question would become, who would win the high ground this time?

The homing beacon indicated that Mara Jade had found the young Jedi on the Mustafar system, so that's where Palpatine was heading. What a suitable place for the Jedi to meet his end. The father had had his humanity killed here, and now the boy would lose his life here. Everything was going according to plan, and the fact that Skywalker would die on this lava planet just made things all the more enjoyable. Perhaps history would repeat itself. The child would not be rescued like his father had been, though. The child could lie in the soot and die a horrible death.

It just so happened that he was in the Outer Rim, having had to deal with some sort of political overtaking of some system or another. It was most unfortunate that he had to deal with these sorts of things, that he could not just have Vader take care of them. The man had never had a flare for politics like his wife had, sadly. His apprentice preferred to settle things by the end of a lightsaber. Vader could survive in the world of politics, of course, but Palpatine did not want to drive his apprentice too insane by making him deal with politicians.

As his shuttle came to a gentle landing on one of the landing platforms of Mustafar, Palpatine was able to sense his Hand and the Jedi. They were dueling, but there was something…off about the Jedi. Oh, how absolutely delicious this was. The boy had discovered the Dark Side all on his own. It would be most interesting to discover who would win in this duel.

Palpatine slowly made his way into the compound. A Commander was trying to explain that it was not safe here, that there were two people locked in combat. Without a second thought, the Sith Lord reached out with the Force using a tendril of its power to close off the man's throat. The Commander fell to the ground behind him, dead. He need not deal with a man such as that. He most certainly was capable of defending himself. There were no Imperial guards with him for this little trip. There was no need for them. He would not be the one meeting his end here. His thoughts were so focused on the dark Jedi and his Hand that he did not sense another presence landing on this Force forsaken planet.

Vader had come here alone. He had not thought that it would take long to dispose of whoever was parading themselves around as his apprentice. It was therefore a surprise to him when he was able to pick up on who was here. It had to have been Luke calling himself his apprentice. It certainly was a good disguise, and this was a good place to hide. R2 must have known that he would never come here by his own will. Odd, the droid still knew him so well.

But, there was something decidedly wrong with Luke's presence in the Force. It was far darker than he remembered it to be. It could not be that the boy had fallen to the Dark Side for he was far too seated in the Light. So, why did it feel that way? Luke's Force signature screamed Darkness. He could not understand why Luke would fall to the Dark now, when no one was trying to force his hand.

There were other Force signatures here that he knew as well. The one closest to his son was Mara Jade. He had thought the woman dead. It appeared that his Master had not killed the woman, that he had only hidden her Force presence. It did not take him long to realize that the woman was in combat with his son. Clearly, the mental block had been put back into place. He would need to act quickly to break the two apart before they had the chance to harm or kill one another. This was not the safest place to have a duel. He most certainly knew that if experience was anything to go by.

There was another signature here, though, that caught Vader's attention. His Master was here. He must have ordered Mara jade to kill his son. The man was likely here to watch the events unfold and see who would come out victorious. Well, Vader was not about to allow for it. The only one who would be losing his life would be the Emperor, if he had anything to say about it. Mustafar was not going to claim blood from another Skywalker.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N- Please forgive me for the lack of updates on this story. I feel horrible for not paying it enough attention. Without further ado, I present the next chapter.

"_It's over, Anakin. I have the high ground."_

"_You underestimate my power."_

"_Don't try it."_

Memories. Memories from another time, another life, plagued a Sith Lord as he made his way through the complexes of Mustafar in an attempt to find his son and Mara Jade before his Master had the chance to do so. These memories were of when he was last here with his former master. Even now he could not understand why the man had left him to burn on this forsaken rock. Were the Jedi not supposed to show mercy in all cases? It would appear that Obi-Wan had not been feeling very Jedi like at that time, and he had suffered for it. And now, being back in this place brought back phantom pains that he had long since buried deep within his mind. The Sith Lord tried to force those memories from his mind. It was a time that he would not allow himself to think about. Right now, his focus had to be on that of his son.

Truly, Vader did have his focus set on the boy. It seemed that the longer his fight continued with Mara Jade, the deeper his presence would sink into the Dark Side. This was not how the boy should meet the Darkness, not here. No, there were too many dangers. Vader had already lost one loved one as a result of this place. He was not about to allow himself to lose another.

Luke found himself liking the Dark Side more and more as this fight progressed over the molten planet known as Mustafar. The more he allowed it to control him, the stronger he would become. He was able to press his strength and drive Mara Jade back more and more throughout the complexes of the planet. More than once it had seemed that she was willing to give up, but the Dark Jedi had not allowed for that. Oh no, she had tried to kill him when he had shown her kindness. He would need to repay her for her actions. If she wanted to play a game, he would most certainly be the winner. To think, he had allowed himself to develop feelings for this woman. All she wanted was his head on a platter to serve to her filth of a Master.

Certainly, if he survived this, he would be able to use these powers again. The Jedi no longer cared if the powers were of the Light or of the Dark. The power that the Force gave to him was intoxicating. So what if he needed to turn? He could have power like his father had. He could join the Empire and help Vader take down Palpatine. They could bring peace to the galaxy and then he would be able to reunite with his old friends. Sure, he would be proving to the rebel leaders that he was indeed aligned to the Empire, but if the end result was peace, what right did they have to complain? They would have what they wanted and someone powerful on the inside. The Leaders would have contact with the second strongest being in the galaxy.

Jade had not expected Skywalker to be this strong. Then again, she had not expected him to be willingly embracing the Dark Side. The boy had been so seated in the Light the last time she had seen him. He had been willing to die to stand up for the Light, or so she thought. Now, it seemed that the boy had become a hypocrite. The Jedi was quickly becoming less and less of the title that he claimed to be. No, he was becoming a Sith. This was troublesome, as there could only be two where the Sith were considered, the Master and the Apprentice. Those roles were currently filled.

Still, the woman did not have the luxury of thinking on this. She had no choice but to remain focused entirely on this fight, for it was becoming more dangerous with each passing moment. They were so close to the lava now, fighting on top of a platform that both were fighting for control over through the Force. Doing this and trying to fight Skywalker was quickly draining on her reserve powers. She did not know how much longer she could keep this up. Palpatine had never prepared her for something like this. There was also something in the Force telling her that something bad was about to happen here. What this could be, the Hand did not know.

Their blades had been locked; neither wishing to give ground to the other for doing so would lead to a quick death. The only out that Mara Jade could see was to jump free from the platform and onto the land of the sooty banks. It would give her the high ground, and perhaps she would be able to use that to her advantage. It was a terrible chance for her to take, to disentangle and make the jump, but she could see no other option. With a push from the Force, the woman jumped away from Skywalker and was able to make the landing, barely avoiding the Jedi's blade in the process.

"Luke," she growled at him, trying to get through to the Jedi. This fight needed to end and now, or else it would end up killing the both of them. "This fight needs to stop. I have the high ground."

"You underestimate the power of the Dark Side," the Jedi replied, his voice not sounding entirely his own but perhaps the echo of another from long ago. The attack he had planned was simple enough and he was sure that he would be able to execute it perfectly.

Though he could not see the fight, Palpatine could sense each and every movement of the opponents. His Hand was losing the fight. What a pity that was. Perhaps she was not as strong as he believed her to be. If she were to die from this, it would only prove that she was unworthy. The loss of one Hand would not bother him in the least. There were others who could easily fill the spot, could take her place and be just as effective.

It seemed that the Skywalker child had willing embraced the Dark Side in order to win the fight on this planet. How odd it was that the child was so like his father, but the child had such strength that Vader no longer possessed. The boy was healthy and was fit, unlike that of his father. Yes, the younger Skywalker would be able to replace his father with the right amount of training. It would not take much to push the boy far enough to want to kill his father. Trust was something that both Skywalkers valued quite highly. If he could break what trust Luke had in his father, he could mold the boy into anything that he wished. Finally, he could have a worthy apprentice.

The fight seemed to be drawing to a head, as something in the Force began to shift. It spoke that something powerful was about to happen. This only made the Sith Lord move a tad quicker in order to get to the epicenter of this fight. He wanted to observe firsthand what would become of his Hand or of young Skywalker. Either way, one would die in this place. He would rather it be his Hand to meet her end. Luke had strength and potential, whereas she would always be a child in the Force.

Palpatine was met with a familiar area of Mustafar, a very familiar area indeed. This was the place he had rescued Vader from. The other Sith had nearly died in this very spot due to the very same situation that was playing out in front of him. Once again, the Skywalker held the low ground whereas his opponent held the opposite. Now, it would be up to Fate to decide if history was doomed to repeat itself or if it could be remade into something greater. He would watch and see. And it seemed that he was not the only one that would be watching this history in the making. What a surprise it was to him to find that Vader had also shown up here. Odd that he had not sensed the other's signature.

Vader had come upon a very familiar sight in his search for his son. This was the exact sight that he had been trying to prevent from happening. The Force could not possibly be cruel enough to allow this to happen again. It could not let Luke lose so much. He was only a child and had no idea what he was doing in the situation. Did the child even know how quickly he was losing his soul to the Darkness? He had to know. Luke was smarter than this. What could be driving him to use the Dark Side of the Force? No one had been here to influence him. He had purposely refused to make contact. Palpatine hadn't known of his location. What in the name of Sith spit was going on here? He wanted to intervene in the situation, wanted to stop it before it could even start, but he suddenly found himself unable to do so as he was met with the presence of his Master, who was simply standing there, allowing all of this.

"Ah, Lord Vader, you too have come to see the show?" Palpatine questioned, not bothering to turn to look at his apprentice. He remained watching with feigned indifference as his Hand shouted down to Skywalker to simply give up. It was a surprise to him when Skywalker defended himself by calling upon the dark Side. So, the child was well-aware that he was using the Dark Side. This was quite interesting, most interesting. Seeing his apprentice take a step forward, as if to intervene, the elder Sith reached a hand out, grabbing the other by the arm. "You will not intervene."

Vader looked from his Master and back to the fight. Something was stirring in the Force, and whatever it was hinged on what his son would decide to do. All he could hope was that the boy would not meet the same Fate he had. Then again, he was here; he could save Luke before the fires could claim him. There was someone here to help this time, if the need be.

Luke could sense the presence of others. So, it appeared that they had an audience. How very perfect. He could take down Jade publically and prove that he was not some useless Jedi farmer from some backwater system. He had power and he would use it to his upmost to make his dreams become a reality. Drawing on the Dark Side and focusing his heated anger on his opponent, the once innocent Jedi made the jump, a jump that would make another notch in the history for Skywalkers.

A/N- I promise to update soon! And, I do not own Star Wars. Disney does.


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